All posts by Chris Mielke

Campus Announcements Archive

Tips to stay safe online

Much of our work and leisure now takes place online, which means internet safety is a critical issue. Here are five simple tips on to stay safe online.

Use unique passwords
Using the same pass­word for logging into multiple accounts is convenient, but it also makes things easier for hackers. When hackers steal your pass­word, they can get into every account that password was used. To be safe online, use strong and unique pass­words.

Log out from services
When you’re done with a banking session or another system with sensitive information, log out and close your browsing window. This is especially important when you’re at an internet café or other public space outside the safety of your home. Logging out reduces the likelihood your browser will be tricked into sending requests for unauthorized transactions, such as a bank transfer, to sites you are logged in to.

Keep your soft­ware up to date
Software is written by humans, and humans make mistakes. That’s why soft­ware can include flaws that compromise Internet safety. Hackers scan the internet for computers running old soft­ware versions containing flaws and target those computers. Enable automatic updates or update software when prompted to stay safe from these online attacks.

Take back-ups
Ransom­ware is a type of malware that encrypts the files on your device and demands a ransom to be paid for decryption. Ransomware is becoming increasingly dangerous for individuals and organizations. No one wants to open a computer to find they can’t access any documents, photos, or videos. To be safe online, take back­ups in case your device gets lost, stolen, or infected by ransomware or another type of malware.

Beware of phishing attacks
Phishing attempts to trick you into opening a malicious link or email attachment. Attackers use phishing to infect your device with malware, or to steal your login credentials. If you receive a suspicious email, be wary. Take extra care before clicking links or opening attachments. Remember phishing isn’t only via email — you can receive phishing links in SMS messages or chats as well.

 To help you recognize phishing attempts, ITS will continue to simulate phishing and assign training to those most susceptible. If you believe you’ve been targeted by phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

— Chris Mielke, ITS

News & Achievements Archive

Drake’s actuarial science program recognized with Casualty Actuarial Society University Award

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) has recognized Drake University with the 2022 CAS University Award. This honor is in acknowledgement of the exemplary ways the University’s actuarial science program prepares students for careers in the property and casualty insurance industry. The CAS cited the opportunities for Drake students to gain exposure to the sector through the program’s curriculum, research, and industry engagement as innovative. 

“This award is a reflection of our focus on continuous improvement to ensure Drake remains the actuarial science program of choice for students seeking a career in this burgeoning field,” said Alejandro Hernandez, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, which is home to Drake’s actuarial science program. “Our pursuit of this recognition was propelled by the encouragement of alum Jack Richards and the contributions of two current Drake students, Caitlyn Nielson and Benjamin Ticali, who together with our faculty generated this first-ever distinction for Drake.”

The annual CAS University Award program is designed to celebrate and honor universities who share the organization’s commitment to fostering the development of the next generation of property and casualty actuaries. According to the CAS, the 2022 selection process is extremely competitive with 43 institutions worldwide having sought recognition through this program and only four universities, including Drake, receiving the award.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake Intercultural Community Exchange Fall 2022 sign up

The Office of Global Engagement is excited to kick off the Fall 2022 intake for Drake Intercultural Community Exchange (DICE). This volunteer program matches faculty and staff (and their families) with incoming international students for a term (or longer), with the goal of fostering meaningful connections beyond the classroom.

DICE hosts would be expected to reach out to their student two or three times a semester to grab a meal, participate in a shared interest, or meet up at DICE/ISSS-sponsored events. Participating as a DICE volunteer is open to ALL Drake faculty and staff. The only requirement is that you have a strong interest in developing an inclusive community and the desire to make our international students feel welcome.

This second year is also unique – we will now be opening our search for hosts to Drake-affiliated community members in the greater Des Moines area. If you know any interested parties, feel free to send the application to them.

If you are interested in becoming a DICE host, please complete our online application: http://drake.qualtrics.com/DICE_HostApplication

If you have any questions about the program, please send inquires to Jorona Johnson, international student advisor, at jorona.johnson@drake.edu.

— Jorona Johnson, Global Engagement

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Time to play HealthyU BINGO

Join us in July for HealthyU BINGO.  The goal is to fill up a blank BINGO card (or two), during the month, with healthy activities completed from a provided list.  Then, in August, we will get together to play games of HealthyU BINGO for prizes.

You are welcome to fill out the HealthyU BINGO card without playing the BINGO games, but who doesn’t like playing BINGO!

To get started, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu. Deadline to register is Thursday, June 30.  All participants will receive an email with an attached packet that includes directions, a list of HealthyU BINGO activities, and a blank BINGO card.  You are welcome to make multiple copies of this card.

Please feel free to reach out with questions.  This is a great event for the whole family!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive, For Faculty Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Megan Brown named director of Writing Workshop

Each Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

Please welcome Professor Megan Brown into an additional new role at Drake University—director of writing.  Starting July 1 as director of writing, Professor Brown will oversee and advise the work of our Drake student tutors in the Writing Workshop; she will also convene and participate in faculty development around the teaching and evaluation of writing across the disciplines.

Megan has taught writing across a variety of settings, and with diverse populations, for more than twenty years, and we are fortunate to have her as both a professor of English and a founding faculty member of the John Dee Bright College.  She is the author of two books, and a dozen articles and essays; at Drake, Megan teaches a range of writing-related courses, including Narrative Nonfiction.

We are thrilled that she will bring her expertise to the Writing Workshop, as well as her commitment to building rapport and community with students and faculty, in the belief that we can all develop our writing skills and capacities.

— Renée Ann Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Big announcements for faculty, academic year 2022–2023

Each Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

Interdisciplinary Intergenerational Faculty Mentoring Cohorts! The office of the deputy provost will provide a bit of training, small stipends, organizational support, and money for hospitality to assistant, associate, and full faculty who volunteer to be part of mentoring cohorts for and with our incoming class of new faculty.  I’m spending the summer organizing the groups – and would love to have you volunteer (if you’ve already emailed, you’re on my list – but I’m still seeking more people to join us).  Email me at renee.cramer@drake.edu with “Mentoring” in the subject line, and I’ll reach out in late July/early August.

Getting Ready to Hire Center for Teaching Excellence Director! After spending a year getting my arms around the newly configured role of deputy provost, I’m ready to begin building out the Center for Teaching Excellence.  In early August, I will circulate a call for CTE Director with details about duties and compensation.  As a preview: the role will begin January 1, and the term will be for three years, with renewal upon review, for up to two terms.  In the fall of 2022, the incoming CTE director will attend the POD Network in person workshop in Seattle, as part of professional development in advance of taking on the role.

I’m making this announcement now so that interested faculty can begin to think about applying.  Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have, prior to the announcement of the position.

— Renée Ann Cramer, Deputy Provost

News & Achievements Archive

Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel to join Law School faculty

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce that Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel will join the full-time faculty upon his retirement from the Court at the end of July. He will teach Professional Responsibility and State Constitutional Law, in addition to seminars and other courses.

“We are so honored to welcome Justice Appel to our faculty,” said Drake Law Dean Jerry Anderson. “He has been a brilliant jurist and will draw on a wealth of experience both on the bench and in the courtroom. In addition to his impressive resume, Justice Appel has served as an adjunct professor and as supervisor and mentor for our Supreme Court interns.  We’re thrilled that he has such a passion for teaching and helping to train future generations of lawyers.”

“I look forward to the exciting opportunity to be part of the Drake Law community and to this new chapter in my professional career.” said Appel.

Justice Appel was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2006. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University, and his JD from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served on the board of editors of the California Law Review. During his time at Berkeley Law, he won the McBaine Moot Court competition and the Jamieson Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Advocacy. After graduation, Appel clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then served as first assistant attorney general and then as deputy attorney general of Iowa from 1979 to 1986. During this time, he argued and briefed four cases before the United States Supreme Court. At the time of his appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2006, he was a partner at Wandro, Baer & Appel in Des Moines, where his practice focused on commercial litigation, employment law and personal injury.

In 2010, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Appel to the Federal Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, where he served until 2016. In 2022, Appel received The Iowa State Bar Association’s Rolland E. Grefe Pro Bono Publico Award for his leadership in advocating for access to justice for all Iowans throughout his career, and for his outstanding work as the chair of the Iowa Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission since it was formed in 2016.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

Campus Announcements Archive

Action items in Self Service starting July 1

A new feature in Banner Self Service is coming July 1. Action items will alert you to tasks you need to take care of. The first action item you’ll see starting July 1 is the student financial responsibility agreement. A few other examples of action items include entry of local address and entry or update of emergency contact information.  These and more action items will be implemented and assigned as their setup work is complete.

Some action items will halt other processes. For example, a student financial responsibility agreement action item will need to be completed in order to view your current schedule or register for classes.

Please review Using Action Items in Self Service (How-to) for details on viewing and completing action items.

For questions about the student financial responsibility agreement action item, please email stuacct@drake.edu.

— Julia Gwebu, Student Account Services; Kris Brewster, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Self Service/Banner planned outage June 30 at 4:30 p.m.

Due to required maintenance for the end of the fiscal year, Admin Pages, Touchnet, and portions of Self Service will be unavailable between 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, and lasting until 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 1. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you experience issues outside of this window, please call the Support Center at 515–271–3001 or visit https://service.drake.edu to report your issue. Thank you for your patience as we continue to strive to provide superior service.

— Heather Travis, Finance